Patrol

Crowd Assaults Florida Officer During Arrest

An officer was assaulted by a crowd as he attempted to arrest a Melbourne, Fla., man who police believe had violated a city ordinance just after midnight on Monday, Melbourne Police say.

As an officer approached 22-year-old Phoenix Chansler Low to inform him of the violation, he became combative against the officer and ignored their instructions, according to Melbourne Police.

Police say that while the officer was trying to handcuff Low, a crowd surrounded the officer and began to interfere with Low's arrest by yelling, striking and pulling at both the officer and Low. At that point, the officer feared for his safety and utilized less-lethal force toward the crowd, Florida Today reports.

Low is charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting with violence, resisting without violence and having an open container of alcohol.

Scanner audio captured an officer’s account of what happened at the scene, CWBChicago reports: “Ten people surrounded me, indicating that they had firearms. And one person pulled him away from me, holding his waist, indicating that he would use a firearm against me.”

There were so many police officers, sheriff’s deputies and Highway Patrol troopers that the court appearance had to be moved out of Justice Court to Judge John Larson’s Courtroom Number Three on the third floor of the Missoula County Courthouse.

The vehicle pursuit ended in the town of Kittitas where Deputy Thompson was backed up by Officer Benito Chavez. The suspect exited the vehicle and exchanged shots with the two law enforcement officers.